Apparatus useful in assembling venetian blind bars



March 2, 1954 H. K. LORENTZEN 2,670,532

APPARATUS USEFUL IN ASSEMBLING VENETIAN BLIND BARS Filed Sep.. 25, 1949 F I Ga 7 l INVENTOR In stamping the end brace, metal is removed from plate I 4 in such manner as to leave a finger II. This finger is adapted to be bent, as required when the blind is installed, to engage the installation bracket of the blind and thereby prevent endwise movement of the head bar. This is more fully explained in Patent 2,455,135 issued November 30, 1948. In some instances the brace is so stamped as to leave the finger II lying in the plane of plate I 4, as is shown in Figs. 2, 3, 5 and 6; in which case the nger is bent outwardly, as required, when the blind is installed. In other instances the brace is so stamped as to leave the finger I'I in an outwardly-bent condition, as is shown in Fig. 7; in which case the finger is usually bent inwardly, as required, when the blind is installed but in some cases may be bent farther outwardly.

Reference will now be had to Fig. 1. The device there shown is composed of two sheet metal (preferably sheet-steel) stampings I9 and 26, the stamping I9 being placed on top of the stamping and being suitably secured to the stamping 20 as by spot welding I8.

The lower stamping 26 has at one end two integral flanges 26, 26 which project upwardly in spaced :relation as shown. These anges are adapted to act collectively as an abutment to receive and hold an end brace that is to be incorporated into a head bar.

The stamping I9 is so formed as to provide a track or guide to direct the end of a head bar toward an end brace held by anges 26, 26. The

stamping I9 includes longitudinal side anges 22,

22 which are spaced apart by a distance which is slightly greater than the width of the head bar channel. The upper edges of the iianges 22, 22 are fiared outwardly as shown to facilitate insertion of the head bar. The bottom portion of the stamping I9V is formed with opstanding longitudinal corrugations 24, 24 which stiffen the structure and, in conjunction with side flanges 22, 22 form a pair of parallel grooves or tracks 2|, 2i in which the beads Il, III of the head bar are adapted to nest.

An end brace I2, which is to be applied to a head bar, is placed in inverted position with the plate portion I4 of the brace positioned against the abutment formed by flanges 26, 26. VThese abutment flanges are positioned far enough beyond the end of stamping I9 to permit the plate portion I 4 of the brace tobe inserted between the flanges 26, 26 and the end of guide stamping I9.

The flanges I6, I6 of the brace extend into the A* of the channel, said device comprising: an elongrooves 2 I, 2l and are held in upwardly-inclined position by bumps 23 (one shown) which are pressed upwardly from the bottom of each groove 2l. 'I'his gives the entire end brace I2 a slight backward tilt; and the abutment anges 'd' 26, 26 lhave the same backward tilt so that the plate portion I4 of the end brace will lie flat against the abutment flanges 26, 26. The surface of the abutment 26, 26 confronting the guide would be disposed normal to the tracks in the guide were it not for the backward tilt of the abutment. The tracks in the guide may be said to extend generally normal to or at right angles across the abutment.

The finger I'I of the end brace has a forwardly projecting tip I 1'; and the bottom of the guide stamping I 9 is provided with a U -shaped cut-out 28 that provides space for reception of the finger .tip I1 when the end brace is one in which the body I1 of the finger lies in the plane of plate portion I4 of the end brace. If the end. brd@ l?? one which is initially stamped with the finger II in outwardly-bent condition, as shown in Fig. T, then the finger lies in the space between abutment fianges 26, 26.

With the end brace I2 received and held as has been described, a head bar I Il is inverted and one end thereof is placed in the guide I6 as shown in Fig. 5. The operator holds the free end of the head bar in slightly raised position to give the head bar the inclination indicated in Fig. 5, this inclination corresponding approximately to the slight backward tilt of the end brace I 2 as it lies against abutment fianges 26, 26. With a quick stroke the operator forces the head bar against the end brace. The beads II, II telescope over the flanges I6, I6 of the end brace, and the telescoping movement continues until stopped by engagement of the end of the head bar with the plate portion I4 of the end brace. The beads II, I I resiliently grip the flanges yI 6, I6 and thereby secure the end brace to the head bar.

The head bar is then withdrawn, another end brace put in place against abutment flanges 26, 26, the head bar turned end for end, and the process repeated to apply the second brace to the opposite end of the head bar.

For convenience of operation the device is preferably rmly mounted at a convenient height, on a work bench or the like. To aid in mounting, holes 29 (four shown) are provided for mounting screws.

I claim:

1. In the Venetian blind art, a device useful in assembling head bars of the type in which the hollow beads of a channel-shaped, metal head bar telescopically receive portions that project from the body of an end brace spanning an end of the channel, said device comprising: an elongated strip of sheet metal, one end of which is turned upwardly to form an upstanding flange for receiving the body of the channel end brace, and an elongated guide member superimposed upon the strip, the guide member being formed to provide a pair of spaced tracks terminating at the upstanding flange of the strip for receiving the beads of the head bar and guiding them into engagement with the projecting portions of the end brace body.

2. In the Venetian blind art, a device useful in assembling head bars of the type in which the hollow beads of a channel-shaped, metal head bar telescopically receive portions that project from the body of an end brace spanning an end gated strip of sheet metal, one end of which is turned upwardly to form an upstanding fiange for receiving the body of the channel end brace, and an elongated guide member superimposed upon the strip, the guide member having a pair of spaced longitudinal corrugations and up# turned longitudinal edges forming a pair of spaced grooves terminating at the upstanding flange of the strip for receiving the beads of the head bar and guiding them into engagement with the projecting portions of the end brace body.

3. In the Venetian blind art, a device useful in assembling head bars of the type in which the hollow beads on the edges of a channel-shaped head bar telescopically receive longitudinally projecting side anges of an end bracehaving a body portion spanning the beads at an end of the channel, said device comprising: a guide means formed to provide a pair of parallel tracks adapted toreceive the beads of the head bar and guide them into engagement with the side flanges of the end brace, an abutment having an upstanding surface extending at right angles across an end of the tracks, the abutment being slightly spaced from the tracks for receiving the body portion of the end brace therebetween, and means connecting the guide means and the abutment.

4. In the Venetian blind art, a device useful in assembling head bars of the type in which the hollow beads on the edges of a channel-shaped metal head bar telescopically receive longitudinally projecting side flanges of an end brace having a body portion spanning the beads at an end of the channel, said device comprising: a guide means formed to provide a pair of parallel tracks adapted to receive the beads of the head bar and guide them into engagement with the side flanges of the end brace, an abutment having an upstanding surface extending at right angles across an end of the tracks, the abutment being slightly spaced from the tracks for receiving the body portion of the end brace therebetween, means connecting the guide means and the abutment, and means holding an end brace placed on the device tipped with the body portion resting against the abutment and the free ends of the side flanges somewhat elevated from the surfaces of the tracks for reception of the flanges into the beads of the head bar.

5. In the Venetian blind art, a device useful in assembling head bars of the type in which the hollow beads on the edges of the channel-shaped metal head bar telescopically receive longitudinally projecting side flanges of an end brace having a body portion spanning the beads at an end of the channel, said device comprising: a guide means formed to provide a pair of parallel tracks adapted to receive the beads of the head bar and guide them into engagement with the side anges of the end brace, and an abutment having an upstanding surface extending at right angles across an end of the tracks, means connecting the guide means and the abutment with the latter slightly spaced from the tracks for receiving the body portion of the end brace therebetween, said tracks including ridges so spaced as to guide the inner surfaces of the beads of the head bar, the track-forming ridges receiving the end flanges of the end brace therebetween thereby to position such end brace laterally.

6. In the Venetian blind art, a device useful in assembling head bars of the type in which the hollow beads on the edges of the channel-shaped metal head bar telescopically receive longitudinally projecting side anges of an end brace having ya body portion spanning the beads at an end of 'the channel, said device comprising: a guide means formed to provide a pair of parallel tracks adapted to receive the beads of the head bar and guide them into engagement with the side flanges of the end brace, an abutment having an upstanding surface extending at right angles across an end of the tracks, means connecting the guide means and the abutment, the abutment being tipped slightly in a rearward direction and being slightly spaced from the tracks for receiving the body portion of the end brace therebetween, said tracks including ridges so spaced as to guide the inner surfaces of the beads of the head bar, the track-forming ridges receiving the end anges of the end brace therebetween thereby to position such end brace laterally, and means holding an and brace placed on the device tipped with the body portion resting against the abutment and the free ends of the side flanges somewhat elevated from the surfaces of the tracks for reception of the flanges into the beads of the head bar.

7. In the Venetian blind art, a device useful in assembling head bars of the ty-pe in which the hollow beads on the edges of the channel-shaped metal head bar telescopically receive longitudinally projecting side anges of an end brace having a body portion spanning the beads at an end of the channel, said device comprising: a guide means formed to provide a pair of parallel tracks adapted to receive the beads of the head bar and guide them into engagement with the side flanges of the end brace, an abutment having an upstanding surface extending at right angles across an end ofthe tracks7 the abutment being slightly spaced from the tracks for receiving the body portion of the end brace therebetween, said tracks being grooves formed between outer longitudinally extending iianges receiving the outer sur' faces of the head bar and inner ridges guiding the inner surfaces of the beads of such head bar, the track-forming ridges receiving the end flanges of the end brace therebetween to position such end brace laterally, and means connecting the guide `and the abutment.

8. In the Venetian blind art, a device useful in assembling head bars of the type in which the hollow beads on the edges of a channel-shaped metal head bar telescopically receive longitudinally projecting side nanges of an end brace having a body portion spanning the beads at an end of the channel, said device comprising: a guide means formed to provide a pair of parallel tracks adapted to receive the beads of the head bar and guide them into engagement with the side iianges of the end brace, said guide having a pair of longitudinal marginal flanges and a pair of longitudinal beads forming together a pair of open topped channel-like track-forming grooves for receiving the beads of the head bar and guiding them into engagement with the end brace, an abutment having an upstanding surface extending at right angles across an end of the tracks, the abutment being slightly spaced from the tracks for receiving the body portion of the end brace therebetween, the longitudinal beads of the guide forming ridges receiving the end flanges of the end brace therebetween thereby to position such end brace laterally, bumps located in the grooves of the guide adjacent to the abutment means to elevate the free ends of the projecting side flanges of the end brace somewhat above the surfaces of the grooves for reception of the flanges into the beads of the head bar, and means connecting the abutment and the guide.

HANS K. LORENTZEN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 606,058 Honiss June 21, 1898 651,267 Pickett June 5, 1900 1,404,434 Derby Jan. 24, 1922 1,442,376 Williams Jan. 16, 1923 1,489,561 Tureson Apr. 8, 1924 1,946,967 Douglas Feb. 13, 1934 2,127,982 Northup et al Aug. 23, 1938 2,229,233 Wiley Jan. 21, 1941 2,330,023 Balousek Sept. 21, 1943 2,475,187 Kramer July 5,1949 

